


The first and second.

by whiteReaper



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Gen, Post canon, Shadow magic, brief bout of violence, mention of sangan, slur useage, the card i mean, this is based off my roleplay blog but i thought it worked well enough for a mini fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-20 03:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16547789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteReaper/pseuds/whiteReaper
Summary: In which Ryou learns he can use shadow magic- First by accident, and then on purpose.





	The first and second.

**Author's Note:**

> Normally I wouldn't share such writings on here, but this one got away from me- what was intended to be a small drabble grew into something I feel comfortable posting here. So please enjoy!  
> Roleplay blog, for those interested: monochromaticoccultist.tumblr.com

The first time it happened, it was an accident.

Ryou wasn’t even sure why he had brought his deck with him that day. It had been a nagging feeling as he was getting ready for class, a whisper in the back of his mind. His deck had been put away in a case, in the back of a desk drawer. It had been awhile since he had brought it out, memories of the past giving him a somewhat sour disposition to it.

Later, he swore to always listen to such feelings.

Sneakers shuffled soundlessly against the pavement of the alleyway, a shortcut back to his apartment that night. The feeling of earlier had long been forgotten, the weight of the deck in his pocket almost unnoticeable. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, and light danced in its reflection in puddles from a rain now passed. It was later than usual on his walk home, having gotten lost in the tomes at the school’s library.

Assignments at his university had become more time consuming and the difficulty was on a steady incline, so Ryou had spent the night making full use of the books available for students. He didn’t want to fall behind, after all. He had lost track of time, only gathering his things to leave once a tired student worker asked him to.

Now he walked back to his apartment in the early morning hours, exhaustion weighing down every step. He ignored the stench of alcohol and the reek of rotting garbage, idly making note that he should take a different route next time.

That was when a figure stepped out of the shadows clinging to the walls, blocking Ryou’s path. “Hey girly!” His voice rang out, and Ryou stopped in his tracks, cringing. Another joined the first, and Ryou heard the footsteps of a third behind him.

Shit.

“Why don’t a pretty girl like you spend some time with us boys? We’ll treat ya right.” If the air didn’t reek of alcohol before, it certainly did now. Ryou grimaced, holding back his automatic ‘I’m not a girl’ response. That wouldn’t be of any use now, he knew these type. They were drunk, bored, and looking for anything. They’d just take it as an excuse to fight. He needed to leave.

Slowly did Ryou back away, one foot behind the other. The men chuckled, creeping forward at the pace Ryou retreated. It was only when he hit something solid, did he remember the third man.

Double shit.

Arms captured Ryou, strong in their grip, and he let out a shout of panic. He thrashed, he kicked, but to no avail.

“Hey, this ain’t a girl! It’s one of those girly looking boys- Ow! Fuck!!” The taste of copper blossomed in Ryou’s mouth and he bit down on the flesh of the arm without restraint. Taking the opening, Ryou ripped himself out of the weakened grasp and made a break for it.  
It was a moment, just a moment, when he dared to let himself hope, hope that he had gotten away, hope that he was out of this situation, hope that he was free-   
And then pain seared across his scalp as Ryou was yanked violently backwards with a cry.

“Fuckin’ fag!” It was the first man, with his fist in Ryou’s hair, pulling him up until he stood on his tip toes, even has he tried to hold his hair at the base to prevent that burning pain. “Trickin’ us! Bet you get off on that shit!”

Suddenly Ryou was moving, and it was only after the pain slammed into him did he realize he had hit the brick wall. His head must have taken some of the blow, he thought, to make everything start swimming like this.

The figures approached, slowly, or perhaps he just thought it was slowly? Nevertheless, they approached, and Ryou wanted to vomit. From his head or the fear, he didn’t know. It didn’t matter.

The next thing he noticed was a chill seeping into his bones, and the impossible darkness creeping from the corners of his eyes. Shadows that were far darker than the night. Shadows that he recognized.

Oh, gods. Not again…! Wasn’t this over?!

Ryou vomited before he even realized he was going to.

Though his vision blurred, the screams, that was sound. Sound Ryou heard. And then… there was silence.

Something pressed against his head, something in a vague humanoid shape, but as his vision cleared, there wasn’t anyone there he could see.

That was, anyone that wasn’t the three men passed out on the ground. Or his cards, scattered on the wet ground, having fallen from his pockets and burst out of their case when he was thrown.

Ryou scrambled to get up, ignoring the wave of nausea. Swaying, he gathered his cards, praying he saved them in time from the evidence of the earlier rain. Quickly he slipped them into his pocket, not trusting himself to place them precisely into their case.

Gathering his wits about him, Ryou took a breath, and looked at the three assailants now collapsed on the ground.

Were they dead?

Ryou bolted for home.

In a puddle, a puddle of bleeding colours, a single card watched him run before melting into the water and darkness.

~~~~

The second time it happened, it was intentional.

Weeks had flown by since the incident. It wasn’t that Ryou had forgotten about it, no. Not for a moment. Especially given that even though something had helped him, his concussion hadn’t vanished. It was mild, far more so than he would’ve expected from such a hit, but still there. A myriad of scrapes and bruises adorned his back, though those weren’t nearly as pressing of an issue.

His studies suffered, unable to concentrate or stare at a page or screen for long, the strain making him sick.

Not that his teachers cared. His due dates were barely extended, and classes went as normal.

Eventually, though, the doctor cleared Ryou’s health, with a warning to be more careful from now on. He was sure the man didn’t believe his excuse of tripping down his stairs, but Ryou wasn’t about to admit that he had been attacked by men that just happened to fall unconscious when assaulting him. Even though he had been watching the news and nothing about mysterious dead men showed up, he’d rather not risk it.

Life resumed as normal.

And now Ryou stared down at his deck.

He sat cross legged on his bed, his dueling deck sat across from him. It had been spared from damage, luckily, by the plastic protectors he had put them in ages ago. If that had fallen in a puddle, however, or been soaked through, even that wouldn’t have saved them. Ryou was glad.

With a deep breath, he reached out, and took a hold of the deck.

Ryou wasn’t stupid. He might be a bit absent minded sometimes, even he himself will admit, but he was far smarter than others gave him credit for. He knew what had happened, that night. The cards had somehow responded to him, to his panic, to the fact that he was in trouble.

It was shadow magic.

But how was he using it, Ryou pondered. Hadn’t Atem sealed the shadows away with his final death? And even if that wasn’t the case, or if they had been somehow unlocked once more, how was he using such magic?

It was too confusing, too chaotic. There was one question, though, that he could answer here and now.

Could he do it again?

Eyes slipped closed as Ryou steadied himself before reaching out, feeling, sensing for other energies. The deck thrummed back in response, a low, steady hum that nearly sent him reeling. His eyes opened in shock, and he looked down. How had he not noticed this before? The life he could feel coming from within? Now that Ryou knew it was there, he found it hard to ignore. Still… this wasn’t the answer to his question.

He shuffled through the deck, assessing each monster, until he landed on one. Sangan. He was low level enough, to try to call forth, Ryou supposed. He stared at the card for a moment, finger tracing the art.

Decks were a look into the soul of a person, this Ryou knew. Jonouchi’s warriors, Yugi’s silent types, Kaiba’s dragons. They all reflected core aspects of the duelist.

So what did it mean, that Ryou had such grotesque monsters?

Pushing that question aside for later, he once again focused on Sangan. His eyes once more slipped closed, and he focused on the energy of this specific card. It was quieter than the deck as a whole, but just as constant.

Steadying himself, Ryou used his own energy to call and lure forth the beast’s.

The temperature of the room dropped suddenly, and Ryou’s eyes snapped open. The duel monster sat on the floor, staring at Ryou, unblinking.

And then it vanished.

The warmth returned, and Ryou looked on in shock. Even as strength left him, sapped from his limbs, he stared at the spot Sangan had been. It… was true. A pat of Ryou hadn’t really believed, had whispered that what he had believed happened was simply a panicked hallucination, but this now was real. Ryou had called that being forth.

All of a sudden, he was all too aware of the gnawing ache in his stomach. Shaking hands returned the card to the rest of the deck, before he slipped off the bed. His legs felt like jelly, but be it from the shock or the energy spent, that was unknown. Perhaps it was both. Ryou hardly cared at the moment.

As he raided his fridge, shoving what sustenance he could into his mouth, it hit him.

He could use magic.


End file.
